More Green in the Garden

March 11th, 2012

Every garden can be beautiful and thriving while staying away from harsh chemicals. With these alternative gardening ideas your garden can look green and gorgeous through natural weed killers and fertilizers. Also through clever layering of natural materials you can reduce how often you water your garden.

Killing Weeds: Instead of using harsh chemicals you can easily kill weeds by pouring hot water on them. Another alternative is combining white vinegar with a pinch of salt and liquid dish soap to create a weed killer. Also, by strategically planting your garden you can naturally repel pests, certain plants function as a weed repellent.

 

Fertilizer: A major component of gardening is fertilizing and normally at this stage many people turn to a chemical fertilizer but that is not necessary. Two replacements for chemical garden fertilizers are humus or grass clippings. Humus is what is produced from a compost pile and contains many nutrients. An added bonus is humus can be bought or you can make it yourself by making your own compost pile. By combining food scraps and lawn/garden clippings into a pile and turning it regularly you are creating nutrient-rich humus and it didn’t cost you a thing! Grass clippings are also rich in nutrients which will help your plants grow to their fullest potential.

 

Watering: Every garden needs to be watered on a regular basis but taking simple steps to retain moisture and help insulate your plants can help reduce how often you water your garden and save water. By beginning with a layer of compost or grass clippings then adding a layer of mulch will help reduce weed growth, insulate your plants, and the plants will retain much more water. 

 

I hope these tips are helpful and your garden grows to be fantastic, and plentiful in harvest if you are planting fruits or vegetables.

 

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